Management

ND Group’s leadership team is a globally diverse team with experience in markets across Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia, reflecting ND Group’s global scope and ambitions.

Dirk Franzmeyer

Chief Executive Officer

Dirk has dedicated his career to using technology to improve the delivery of financial services. His unparalleled knowledge of the fintech industry has been garnered through years of working in the fields of banking, brokerage and business software solutions throughout Germany. Besides serving as CEO of the ND Group, Dirk leads the finance related technology undertakings in the group and acts as managing director of nd Business IT GmbH, a company co-founded by Dirk that develops technical support systems for e-banking and payment transactions solutions at ND Group.

As former CEO of biw AG, he was also the founder and member of the board of Kodi AG, a position which saw him lead the development of an internet platform for financing and processing various loan types. Dirk previously also served as the board secretariat at Landesbank Berlin and in various other positions focusing on municipal financing and business development. A proud business administration alumnus of the Freie Universität in Berlin, he continues to apply his expertise to the business of technology in the financial sector.

Islam Ceka

General Portfolio Manager

Islam Ceka has been General Portfolio Manager of ND Group since 2015, having worked in a number of financial leadership roles in ND Group’s largest company, Ecolog International. Islam served as Director of Finance and Control and then Vice President of Finance at Ecolog. He later served as Group General Manager of Administration and Operations. Islam brings vast international experience to ND Group, including experience working in developing markets and politically or infrastructurally challenging regions.

Kaan Savul

Chief Marketing Officer

As Chief Marketing Officer at ND Group, Kaan Savul is focused on building the reputation of the group and its portfolio companies, developing stronger relationships, innovating marketing approaches, and ultimately fostering the growth of the business.

Kaan brings more than 20 years of international marketing communications experience to the role after holding leadership positions in UAE (Dubai and Abu Dhabi), Turkey, and Germany, where he consulted on multinational companies’ marketing and communication strategies.

Kaan studied at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences and has obtained numerous certificates and awards in the marketing field.

Bart Versteeg

Chief Legal Officer

Bart has extensive in-house counsel experience as well as expertise in commercial contracting, business development, mergers and acquisitions, legal and IP counselling, and media and litigation.

Before joining ND Group, Bart was Head of Legal Affairs at NexGuard Labs, the leading provider of forensic watermarking technology and solutions for protecting media content against illicit redistribution. He also served as Senior Corporate Counsel at the Kudelski Group, parent company of NexGuard and a world leader in digital security and media solutions for the delivery of digital and interactive content. Previously Bart worked at NXP Semiconductors and Philips.

Bart has a Master of Laws degree from Erasmus University in Rotterdam and is a member of the Netherlands Bar Association.

Advisory Board

Nazif Destani

Chairman, Advisory Board

Nazif Destani is the Founder and former CEO of ND Group and now sits as the chairman of the Advisory Board.

Nazif started his entrepreneurial career with the founding of Ecolog International, almost two decades ago. Ecolog rapidly grew from a single life-support service business into a large global enterprise supporting governments, humanitarian organizations, and commercial market sectors around the world.

He served as Ecolog’s Chief Executive during the build-up and expansion phase but in 2007 he stepped away from a day-to-day role to form ND Group, with a vision of developing a portfolio of new business ventures internationally.

Nazif now acts as a strategic advisor to the business and portfolio companies, as well as supporting philanthropic ventures in the Southeast Europe region.

Thomas Wachowitz

Member, Advisory Board

Thomas Wachowitz has served ND Group in various executive roles, including CEO for a period.

Thomas adds decades of experience to ND Group through his broad-based knowledge of finance and economic affairs. Moreover, his strategic and economic expertise, with strong qualifications in business tactical planning, has been instrumental to ND Group’s development and growth. In addition to his leadership roles at ND Group, Thomas’ career includes consulting for major German companies in the areas of corporate strategy and cross-border corporate restructuring.